EMPTY HOUSE.

Adrian couldn't dwell on it because of work so he left and got back home a little past midnight. The penthouse was silent except for the faint hum of the city beyond the glass walls. Lights from skyscrapers poured into the dark space in streaks of silver and gold, stretching across the marble floors and luxury furniture that suddenly looked too still. Usually, Seraphina would be awake.

Sometimes she’d pretend she wasn’t waiting for him by falling asleep dramatically on the couch downstairs with the television still running softly in the background. Other times, she’d be standing barefoot in the kitchen wearing one of those elegant dresses she loved so much while complaining about how late he was.

“Mr. CEO,” she’d tease with that smile he could never ignore. “Should I schedule an appointment just to see my husband now?” and the memory seemed to hit him harder than expected.

Adrian loosened his tie slowly as he stepped fully inside the penthouse, exhaustion weighing heavily against his shoulders. His meeting had dragged for hours but somehow the silence waiting for him now felt worse than the noise of work. He shut the door behind him quietly before walking further inside.

“Sera?”

The word slipped out naturally, like she was still there and Adrian froze immediately after saying it. The silence that answered him felt almost cruel. His jaw tightened sharply and he exhaled through his nose before continuing deeper into the penthouse anyway, switching lights on one after another. Warm lighting flooded the rooms but did nothing to change the emptiness hanging in the air.

There was no soft perfume lingering faintly in the hallway anymore, no quiet music drifting from somewhere upstairs…no laughter, no Seraphina sitting cross-legged on the couch waiting to complain about his schedule before forgiving him five minutes later. There was nothing and the realization settled heavily inside his chest… suddenly the penthouse didn’t feel luxurious anymore. It felt hollow.

Adrian removed his watch slowly while walking toward the staircase but stopped abruptly when something near the bottom step caught his attention…A tiny gold earring.

Seraphina’s.

He recognized it immediately because he bought the set for her during their second anniversary trip to Paris and she had spent nearly twenty minutes teasing him afterward for choosing jewelry “too delicate for someone with expensive taste.” but for some reason, she wore them constantly anyway.

Adrian stared at the earring for a very long moment before finally bending down to pick it up carefully between his fingers. It looked ridiculously small resting against his palm and yet his chest tightened painfully around it. He remembered fastening it for her once while she stood in front of the mirror laughing about something completely unimportant.

God…his throat suddenly felt dry.

Adrian straightened slowly and slipped the earring into his pocket like it was something fragile enough to break. Then his phone buzzed, like they were waiting for him. His expression darkened the second he saw the screen.

Unknown Number.

Again. A dangerous look crossed his face as he unlocked the phone immediately. Whoever this person was had already crossed too many lines and Adrian was rapidly losing patience. The message loaded slowly.

“She cried herself to sleep because of you tonight.”

His brows tightened instantly then the attached image opened beneath it and Adrian stopped breathing for a second because it was Seraphina, curled up tightly against a bed that clearly wasn’t theirs, her face buried halfway into a pillow while tears stained her cheeks visibly even in the dim lighting. Her silk robe had slipped slightly off one shoulder and despite being asleep, she looked exhausted…like she had cried for hours before finally collapsing.

Adrian’s grip around the phone tightened so hard the device creaked faintly beneath his fingers..

Something ugly twisted violently inside his chest because he knew that face. He knew exactly how Seraphina looked after crying herself empty…her swollen eyes, her uneven breathing, the way she curled inward like she was trying to hold herself together physically and suddenly all he could think about was the fact that another person had seen her like this before he did. Another message appeared before he could process the first one properly.

“You made her afraid to sleep alone tonight.”

Adrian’s expression changed instantly. The coldness disappeared from his face so quickly it was almost alarming and fear replaced it. His fingers moved immediately, dialing the unknown number without hesitation but the call failed the second it connected.

Unreachable.

Adrian cursed under his breath and called again.

Doesn't exist.

And again.

But still nothing.

The silence inside the penthouse suddenly became unbearable then another message came through.

This time there was no photo…only a single sentence.

“If I wanted to hurt her, Adrian…you’d already be too late.”